Yaya

He who increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow.

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"While it is true that we rarely choose our destiny, we must take responsibility for it."

―Yaya to Fujibayashi Naoe, 1582.^[src]^-[m]

Yaya (やや) was a Japanese sōhei^[1] during the Sengoku period in the late 16th century. Once a member of the Ikkō-ikki that fought against Oda Nobunaga's forces in Izumi Settsu, she later became an ally to the kunoichi Fujibayashi Naoe and was recruited into her league, the Kakushiba ikki.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Naoe: "That kanzashi meant something you?"

Yaya: "It belonged to my husband. One of the only things I had left that touched him. That felt like him in my hands. When grief has no home... it will turn to anger."

—Yaya telling Naoe about her husband's kanzashi, 1582.^[src]^-[m]

As a young woman, Yaya met her husband Iwatora one day as a novice fighter and fell in love. While together, he began to mentor her on fighting to the point where she bested him in combat. Instead of feeling embarrassment, her husband embraced her and was elated at her progress as a warrior.^[2]

At some point, the couple took in an orphan named Tetsuo, who formed a sibling-like bond with Yaya, and taught him everything that he needed to know to survive. However, tragedy struck when Yaya lost Iwatora and all she had left to remember him by was his kanzashi. Lost, she left Tetsuo behind^[2] and joined the Hongan-ji under Hongan-ji Kennyo.^[3]

Yaya soon became a monk and part of the Ikkō-ikki, which fought against Oda Nobunaga's campaign. After their ten-year long war, Kennyo lost most of his stronghold and conceded to a peace treaty with Nobunaga. While Yaya followed Kennyo, his son Kyonyo remained with his own legion to continue the fight, although this led to Kennyo disowning his son.^[3]

Fighting for Kyonyo[]

"You are fools. I fought to keep Mitsumune safe, but he is beyond saving. You all are."

―Yaya to her allies at Amagasaki Castle, 1582.^[src]^-[m]

In 1582, Yaya answered Kyonyo's call for help when Gansen-ji came under attack by Nobunaga's ashigaru soldiers. Despite receiving no reinforcements, they won the fight after the Igan kunoichi Fujibayashi Naoe arrived and aided them. Yaya then grabbed a lone survivor to interrogate him, but the soldier was soon cut down by Kyonyo, much to Yaya's frustration. When Naoe revealed that she sought to eliminate Nobunaga's retainer Wada Koretake, who led the offensive against the remnants of the Ikkō-ikki, Yaya informed her of Nobunaga's chief executioner Shindo Hiroshii, who might know Koretake's whereabouts, and told her to look for him in Nanatsumatsu.^[3]

After Naoe killed Hiroshii^[4] and secured the support of Mitsumune and his men,^[5] she informed Kyonyo and Yaya of Koretake's location at Amagasaki Castle. Yaya disagreed with Kyonyo and Naoe's plan to launch an assault on the stronghold, but reluctantly joined their efforts in order to protect Mitsumune. That night, after being joined by Mitsumune and his men, Yaya briefly caught up with her old friend and tried to dissuade Naoe from proceeding with the assault, but the kunoichi made the decision to fight anyway.^[6]

Following the group's victory and Naoe's successful assassination of Koretake, Yaya tried to stop Mitsumune's execution of the surrendering enemy soldiers. She argued that this was Oda Nobunaga's way of dealing with the enemy, not theirs, but Mitsumune disagreed and insisted that he was simply exacting retribution for every innocent soul who had died because of Nobunaga. When asked about her opinion on the matter, Naoe agreed with Mitsumune and said that no one serving Nobunaga deserved mercy, prompting the monks to proceed with the execution. After Yaya declared that they were all beyond saving, she left angrily.^[6]

Confronting Tetsuo and joining the Kakushiba ikki[]

Yaya: "There is something to this path of forgiveness. It has been a long time since I asked for it myself."

Naoe: "Did you consider my offer? Will you join us?"

Yaya: "You say you fight for the greater good. I believe you."

—Yaya accepting Naoe's invite to join the Kakushiba ikki, 1582.^[src]^-[m]

After the events in Amagasaki, Yaya joined a group of fellow monks in Osaka at a local shrine. One day, they were attacked by rōnin but fought them off with the help of Naoe. The kunoichi then asked Yaya to join her league, but Yaya remained skeptical about Naoe's intentions and refused to become involved in her quest to enact revenge against her father's killers. To prove that she had changed and win her trust, Naoe offered to help Yaya track down her attackers.^[2]

Finding one of them, they confronted him and, on Naoe's advice, Yaya showed the man forgiveness and allowed him to leave for a better path. Shortly after, the pair were approached by the shrine leader, who informed them that Tetsuo was one of the thieves involved in the attack and had stolen Yaya's husband's kanzashi. Learning that Tetsuo and the other raiders had gone to the Church of Takatsuki, Yaya told Naoe about her history with Tetsuo before the kunoichi left to retrieve both him and the kanzashi.^[2]

Waiting near Takatsuki's gate, Yaya saw Tetsuo being chased by Naoe and stopped him in his tracks by knocking him to the ground. She then scolded him for his lack of respect and disgrace for stealing the kanzashi but Tetsuo accused her of abandoning him. Before she could respond, Naoe advised Yaya to follow the path of forgiveness for both Tetsuo and herself. Realizing she had nearly let her anger consume her, Yaya forgave Tetsuo, who in turn forgave her as well. Yaya then reconsidered Naoe's offer and agreed to join her league.^[2]